You get a new kazoo, put it in your mouth
and as
You probably know by this time if you blow, nothing happens.

If you hum, you get a sound;

All kazoos will not sound the same, in fact there are many variations
even in the same model by the same maker.
A lot of people figure, the sound you get is the sound you are stuck
with.
Not so. You can change the way it sounds.

You can change the sound by the
way you play
seeKazoo
Scienceabout some ways to vary the sound by the
way you play.

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You can sometimes also change
the basic sound your kazoo makes.
Whether you can do that and how to do it, depends on the way it is made.

The "submarine" type kazoo is currently the most common shape, but all
of them are not the same.
Lots of different companies make kazoos slightly different.Some are metal with removable tops that
screw on. Some are plastic with removable tops that are pushed
in.Some are plastic with non-removable tops that are glued
in. There is not much you can change about those.

But if you have one with a removable topInside you will find a the
thing that can be called a membrane, a diaphragm or a
resonator.When you hum into
the kazoo, the membrane vibrates, which amplifies and distorts
the sound.
The amount of amplification and distortion varies depending on several
things.
If you change any of these things, it changes the sound.

One change you can make is how far down
the lid sits in the turret. It can sometimes can be
done with the push in type, but it
is easier to do if it is a screw in type.
Hum into the mouthpiece (the wide end).

Loosen and tighten the top while humming one note. Notice
the difference.

Hum some highest notes you
can and hum some lowest notes you can.
Unscrew the top some. Again, hum
some highest notes you can and hum some lowest notes you can.
Listen for the difference.
Looser tends to improve the very low notes.Tighter tends to improve
the very high notes.
You want adjust it to where you can get the sound you like best for all
the notes of your range.
or
A more advanced technique is to have the top fairly loose, but not so
much it will come off; hold the kazoo with one hand and hold the top
with the other and push it down or up, changing the tone while playing.

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Another change you can make is to change the membrane itself.Different companies put
different kinds of membranes in their kazoos.

1) What
it is made of-- or more specifically it's qualities. See Membranes for listings of various materials that can be used
and their qualities.

2)
is it laid in there loose or

3) mounted on a ring of something--usually cardboard-- the tension

a) (how
tight or loose is the membrane glued in),
b) is it placed in the turret with the membrane on the top or the
bottom of the ring.

c) Sometimes the ring is punched off center
so the membrane is only partially over the hole.

4) How far the top is screwed (or pushed) in
The farther in the tighter the membrane is held. Some kazoos are
made in a way that the further in the lid is the more tension is placed
on the membrane, that is the tighter the membrane is stretched in the
ring it is glued to.